When you are approaching a particularly rough time in your life, you might find that you are looking to your past for comfort. There can be many things to find that will make you feel better, and there are things that will not help. How do you know where to look? Start by looking around your house. We all do it, we collect things. Whether we do it intentionally or not, we keep things around that remind us of happy times. They might be photographs, or they might be keepsakes. They might be travel books or even a small chatchke that most people think is garbage but you wont let get thrown away. Its times like this when they become important. Since depression can sometimes affect memory, you shouldnt try to jump to remember the significance of a specific item. Instead, take it in your hands and start holding it. Let your fingers run over it, play with it a bit. Focusing on the item will help you to start to recall its import. It will help you start to recall why you keep it around. You should also remember things from that time, and since you kept the item, they should be happy memories. Your next step is to let the memories wash over you and bring you back to that time. You should start to recall your happy places and times and it will help you, in the short term, to resist depression. It might also bring back feelings of longing for another time or place, however, or feelings of missing someone, so you should be prepared for those feelings. It is natural to miss people who have left your life, but focus now on things that make these times positive and try to bring that joy back to the present day with you. |
